Leaders of the Croatian Democratic Alliance of Slavonia and Baranja (HDSSB) association and the HDSSB party issued in Sarajevo on Wednesday a declaration announcing plans to put up "determined, active resistance" to all forces working on breaking up the HDSSB, including civil disobedience.
The declaration, sent to the media, reads that the HDSSB is subjected to all-out attacks from the government and the opposition and being labelled increasingly frequently as a "party of dangerous intentions".
The party's founders and leaders warn about "the extremely difficult circumstances of political activity which require putting up determined, active resistance to all institutional and non-institutional forces that are working on breaking up and destroying the HDSSB".
The HDSSB is to hold its fourth general convention on October 8. The declaration issued today calls on the meeting to "introduce and declare a state of emergency for the HDSSB".
The declaration also reads that the HDSSB founders and leaders would oppose "with all legal and political means available, including civil disobedience, the political aggression that is aimed at persecuting, intimidating and eventually destroying the HDSSB".
The HDSSB leaders also note that in the light of "the latest attempts to persecute and vilify" HDSSB Secretary-General and member of parliament Ivan Drmic, they were determined to "provide full, unconditional, moral and political protection to any HDSSB official and member".
The HDSSB declaration was signed by Vladimir Sisljagic, president of the HDSSB party, and Branimir Glavas, president of the HDSSB association.
Glavas was sentenced in Croatia to eight years in prison for war crimes against civilians in Osijek in 1991 and his sentence was recently upheld by a court in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he fled before being handed down his verdict in Croatia. He has been in custody in Sarajevo.
